The head of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) made an official visit to South Korea on Tuesday (September 29) at the invitation of the South Korean Army, marking the first such visit in 17 years, NHK reported.

According to officials, General Masayoshi Arai, Chief of Staff of the JGSDF, arrived in South Korea via Gimpo International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

General Arai is scheduled to stay in South Korea through Wednesday (September 30) and exchange views with South Korean Army Chief of Staff General Kim Gyu-ha on the regional security environment and bilateral defense cooperation.

He is also expected to visit South Korean Army units, NHK reported.

This marks the first official visit to South Korea by a JGSDF chief of staff at the invitation of the South Korean Army since 2009, 17 years ago.

NHK analyzed that amid an increasingly severe security landscape—including growing concerns over potential weakening of U.S. deterrence in East Asia—the visit appears aimed at strengthening bilateral military cooperation through exchanges between the South Korean Army and Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.

(Photo courtesy of Kyodo News, Yonhap News)